It Came From The Vault
by odacaste77669
Summary: Enter Enzo Estacado, latest heir to the Darkness birth-right. Whether it proves to be a gift or a curse only time will tell.
1. Prologue

It Came from the Vault Prologue

War...War never changes. Since Man's beginning, when man killed for food, shelter, for his very survival, there has always been conflict. Even before man's existance the primal forces of Darkness and Light were eternally at war for supremacy. The Darkness resented man, who needed the light. So the Darkness in an attempt to gain footing on the mortal plane seeped through the cracks of mortality, merging with a bloodline for eternity, corrupting their very essence. The name of that line...was Estacado.  
>When the world was engulfed in nuclear fire, thousands took shelter in enormous underground "vaults", only to emerge to a world twisted and ravaged by radiation, save the denizens of Vault 101, whom harbor the newest Darkness-user unbeknowst to them. How long can steel and stone keep the heir of the Estacado curse in when he comes of age?<p>


	2. Chapter 1: Visions of the Past

"Get out of my way you stupid Tunnel Snakes!"  
>Amata? What the hell is a tunnel snake. Enzo thought to himself.<p>"I can show you a real tunnel snake, Amata."<br>Butch...This is getting out of hand, I'll teach that punk. Enzo thought as he left his mothers office.

"Whats going on here?" asked Enzo. He already knew Butch's reply.

"Mind your own business, you mess with the Tunnel Snakes and your asking for trouble." Butch said sneering.

"Leave her alone or you'll answer to me." Enzo cracked his knuckles.

"And who are you, her boyfriend? Ha. Listen boy, you mess with us and we'll send you back to your mommy with a few broken bones to fix."  
>Enzo had heard enough. He glanced over at Amata; she was clutching her books to her chest, like she was trying to shield herself. She wasn't scared of Butch, or the Tunnel Snakes, but rather what they could do to her. Enzo wasn't about to let that happen.<br>Butch, Wally and Paul smirked at him, they knew they had an advantage. Enzo didn't care if it was three against him or the world against him, so long as he breathed nothing or no-one would hurt his oldest friend.

"That's it Butch. You and me. Right now."

"You've gotta be kidding me. C'mon Tunnel Snakes, this twerp needs another lesson."

The Tunnel Snakes chuckled and brought there fists up.  
>Enzo didn'y care about Paul or Wally. The only thing he cared about was wiping that stupid,cocky grin off of Butch's face. The kid had screwed with him for as long as he could remember, never seeming to realize that Enzo had never been afraid of him.<br>He hadn't been afraid of Butch at his tenth birthday party when Butch had tried to steal his sweetroll, and he sure as hell wasn't afraid of him now. Paul made the first move, lunging at him, while Wally came at him from the right. Enzo took his elbow and slammed it into Paul's stomach as hard as he could, winding him. He then brought his knee up to meet Wally's groin and followed that with a right hook. Both men fell hard.  
>Enzo then turned his attention Butch, who looked at Enzo in suprise.<br>That's right, I've been practicing you bastard.

"This isn't solving anything!" Amata cried out Butch took this opportunity to sucker-punch Enzo...hard. Enzo staggered backwards, clutching the left side of his face.

"Not so tough now are you, huh twerp?" Butch jeered at him.

Enzo knew it wouldn't solve anything. Butch would harass Amata and him for being different, that's just how it always was. But that cocky bastard would think twice about putting moves on Amata again.  
>Apart from his mother, Amata was the only girl Enzo cared about.<p>

Enzo launched himself at Butch and swung with a wild right hook. The following sound of flesh hitting flesh and Butch hitting the ground seemed deafening. Butch got to his face and wiped has mouth with his hand, now dyed crimson. The fight had barely lasted two minutes but had felt like an eternity. Enzo barely heard Butch say "This bitch isn't worth our time." over his own thundering heartbeat.  
>Deep breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Butch and his cronies skulking down the hall to Mr. B's room seemed to go frame by frame. Only when Amata began to approach did his senses start to go back to normal.<p>

"Thanks for getting rid of them...assholes. I don't know why they won't leave me alone, maybe because I'm the Overseer's daughter I guess?"

"It doesnt matter why. I'll protect you, Amata." Enzo replied.

"I know, you always have." Amata said smiling. That smile always made his stomach do somersaults. She was beautiful, she just didn't know it. One day he'd get the courage to tell her how he really felt. Maybe after the G.O.A.T...

"May I escort the lady?" Enzo asked.

"But of course." she replied. offering her hand.

As they walked into the classroom together Enzo realized he was the happiest he'd felt in a long time.  
>I wish this could last forever... Enzo thought contentedly<p>

"WAKE UP!" cried Amata suddenly.

"Wha-?" Enzo floundered.

"C'mon! You have to wake up!"

Enzo's eyes snapped open. Amata was standing over him, shaking him from sleep.

"How weird, I was just dreaming about you..." Enzo said still half asleep.

"Don't be a smart-mouth, this is serious! My fathers men are looking for you. They've already killed Jonas! You've got to get out of here!" Amata was almost in hysterics. Any remnant of sleep vanished instantly.

"Jonas is dead? What the hell is going on?"

"It's your mom, she left the vault-" Amata's voice faded into the distance.

Mom left the Vault? How? Why? Where would she go? She always said that this is where we belong. Why would she leave me behind?  
>Why would-<br>Enzo snapped back to the present when he realized Amata was crying.

He planted his hands on her shaking shoulders.

"Hey, are you okay?" He could only imagine what she could have seen.

"Yeah, don't worry about me. I'm just sorry you had to find out like this, I know Jonas was your friend..."

Shit...Jonas. Jonas was more than a friend, he was more like a goofy uncle. He worked with Mom for god knows how long and had acted like a surrogate father to Enzo.  
>It was Jonas who had taught him to shoot his BB gun. He'd been there for as long as Enzo could remember. All that gone...just like that. Almost twenty-one years of nothing exciting happening and now Mom's left, Jonas is dead, what next?<p>

THEY WILL KILL YOU ENZO

What the-

SHOOT YOU DEAD AND BURN YOU

What?

No response from the...whatever the hell that was. Enzo noticed Amata was staring at him, looking concerned.

"Sorry, this is alot to take in. Where am I supposed to go?" Enzo asked.

"I'm sorry, but I think the only way is to follow your Mom... outside the vault." Enzo barely heard her over the sirens, and could scarecly believe what he did hear.

"Wait, as in leave?"

"Yeah..." Amata looked down.

"How?"

"I have a plan." Amata said.

"Let's hear it..." Enzo said dejectedly.

"There's a secret tunnel leading from my father's office to the entrance of the Vault. Take these, it's how I always got in..." Amata was thrusting lockpicks into his hands.

"Good plan, let's get the hell out of here!" Enzo could scarcely believe his own words.

"Oh, one more thing. I stole my fathers pistol. I hope you won't need it, but better safe than sorry." she handed him the weapon and 5 clips of ammo.

I knew there was a reason I like this girl. "Thanks, Amata." then remembering how much she abhorred violence "I'll only use it as a last resort, I promise."

"Okay, I'll try to meet up with you at the entrance, watch out for security, good luck!" Amata said as she left the room.

Enzo stood flabbergasted. He half hoped it wassome kind of joke. He only need look at the pistol now clutched in his hand to realize how serious his situation was. He looked down at the sidearm, he'd only shot a BB gun. Hopefully there wasn't too much of a difference, he'd find out soon enough.

Enzo strode to the table on the other side of the room. He grabbed his back-pack and his baseball bat. He pondered what use a BB gun would be against the horrors sure to be outside the Vault. He resolved to take it out of sentimental value and grabbed the BB's so he could share that sentiment should he run out of bullets. He didn't want to think about that scenario too much so he focused on clearing out the first aid kit and heading out of his home and into the last day that he would be free of the Darkness. 


	3. Chapter 2:Escape!

Enzo checked himself, baseball bat tucked between himself and his pack. Pistol in hand, why hadn't Amata given him a holster? Stimpacks in his backpack along with his BB gun and BB's. _This is it Enzo, this is really happening._

Enzo turned down the hall and was suprised to see a member of security fighting a group of radroaches. _So much for avoiding security..._

Enzo brought up his pistol and took aim at a radroach and fired, the bugs back end exploded leaving the insect twitchingon the ground in a frenzy. The guard slammed his baton into a second roach smashing its head in and stepping on the last roach. The guard rounded on Enzo and charged him yelling "Aha, there you are!"

_Are you serious? I just saved your sorry ass! Not even a word of thanks? You just gonna take me out? FINE! We'll play it that way!_

Enzo slid his pistol in his pocket and barely brought his baseball bat out before the guard was upon him. The guard slammed the baton into Enzos stomach. Enzo grunted as he staggered backwards, hardly able to lift his bat to defend against the next swing. Enzo pushed forward and took the guard off balance. Using what little momentum he had he rammed the end of his bat into the guard's stomach. He swiftly brought the bat up, smashing his foe's chin in the process, and cracked down hard on the man's skull. He dropped instantly.

_Where the hell did that come from? _Enzo thought as he holstered his makeshift bludgeon.

_**HEHEHEHEHEHEH SOONNNNN...**_

_What the hell is that voice? Who the fuck are you? What are you doing in my head? I'm not going crazy!_

_**LUCKY, LUCKY BOY...**_

Enzo ignored the voice and turned into the next corridor, someone was charging his direction.

_I don't know why I bother putting this thing away. _Enzo thought as he drew the bat. _Wait...thats Butch. _

Sure enough it Butch was sprinting, and he came to a stop before Enzo.

"You gotta help me man! My mom's trapped in there with the rad-roaches!" Butch was scared, no beyond that, he was terrified. Nevertheless it was hard to take pity on someone whom harassed you on a daily basis.

"Butch, asking ME for help? If only you knew what "irony" meant." Enzo reveled in the brief moment of karma coming to get his old foe. Butch's look of fear was replaced with a scowl.

"Yeah so I'm asking ya, so what? It's my mom, I don't know what i'd do without my mom!" Butch pleaded.

"What are you, afraid of rad-roaches?" Enzo taunted mecilessly. And then was taken aback by Butch's response.

"Yeah, so what? I hate rad-roaches! I tried to go back in there I swear I did, but I just can't do it!" Butch was genuinely afraid of the vermin. Enzo took his BB gun from his backpack and handed it to Butch.

"Here, this should even the odds a little bit." Enzo said.

"Wow, where'd you get that? Okay maybe I can do this." Butch said. And with a grim nod he was running back to his quarters.

Butch's mom was a drunk, and had in the past been know to use their food rations to supply her addiction, but she was the only family Butch had. Enzo understood now, he was just as lost as Butch would be without his mom.

_I'd better go after him._ Enzo thought.

The door to the DeLoria residence was still open and there were strange sound coming from the back of the hovel. As Enzo entered the back room he was greeted with a strange sight. Butch's mother was surround by at least five rad-roaches, two lie dead on the ground, Butch was taking aim at them and was putting up a valiant fight but there were too many for one man with a BB gun. Enzo unholstered his pistol. There were rad-roaches leaping everywhere it was hard to focus. Enzo fixed his sight on a large one attempting to make a meal out of the back of her head and squeezed the trigger. The bug exploded into a huge green mess. Enzo aimed at a second, then a third, then a fourth dispatching them easily. Butch kicked one that appeared to have focused on him and Enzo shot it mid-air.

"We did it! My mom's gonna be okay! Your the best friend I ever had man!" Butch could not contain his joy.

"Shouldn't we take a look at her wounds?" Enzo was uncomfortable at someone he hated calling him friend.

"Nah, some alcohol and bandages and she'll be fine." Butch was almost giddy.

"Well, glad I could help..." Enzo heaed for the door

"Wait, I want you to have my Tunnel Snakes jacket, go on, take it." Butch wasn't taking no for an answer so Enzo put on the jacket.

_Strange...I feel...tougher somehow._ Enzo thought.

"Looking good." Butch said. He then returned Enzo's BB gun.

"Well, uh, bye." Enzo hurried out of there and continued down the winding passageways of the vault.

He came across Officer Gomez fighting a rad-roach and Enzo shot the roach dead. Officer Gomez gave him an understanding nod and turned his back to Enzo.

_He's pretending he never saw me. _Enzo realized. _I always liked you Officer Gomez, even though you work for a psycho._

Enzo ducked inside his Mothers office, or rather what was left of it to gather some more medical supplies.

_Ten Stim-paks, two syringes of Med-x and three packs of Rad-Away. Good enough for now. _He thought. He then headed to the Atrium level of the Vault.

A couple teens were in a heated discussion about whether or not to leave the vault, and as Enzo approached the male decided that it was the only way and walked further out into the atrium, only to fall to the ground clutching his leg, the girl screamed and ran to him but was shot in the back by two security officer guarding the main entrance. Enzo could no longer afford mercy.

_This is what it's come to? Shooting innocent people? _Enzo was livid.

The only words he could muster as he charge down the hallway were "**SON OF A BITCH!**" and both guards were so shocked by his charge that the paused for a second, and that was all Enzo needed. Enzo freed his baseball bat and pistol from their makeshift holsters and sprinted down the hall. In his left hand was the bat which he brought down on the right guards head. Before the remaining guard could react Enzo brought up the pistol from under his left arm and shot the guard in the throat, the brought the bat around in a wide arc and struck him in the back of the skull. He finished both of them with a shot to the back of the head. He checked their bodies took what ammo he found and one of their pistols, He aslo took the pistol holsters off of their remains.

_No more screwing around._ Enzo thought, placing a pistol at each side.

He approached the teens. "You guys alright?" He asked.

"Yeah." The both responded. The girl had only been grazed but the boy's leg looked to be crippled. Removing a Stimpak Enzo carefully moved the hole in the fabric until he found what he was looking for: femoral artery. He placed the syringe in the artery and injected the Stimpak. The result still shocked Enzo sometimes, pretty soon the bullet seemingly removed itself and the skin looked like new.

"Thanks." Was the boys reply.

"No problem." Enzo gave the girl a Stim before he carried on up the stairs leading to the Overseer's office. He heard muffled voices by the interrogation room.

"-just tell us where you little friend is so we can have a little chat with him, that's all we want to do Amata, talk. Officer Mack may enjoy this but I certainly don't." That sounded like Amata's father the Overseer.

"I don't know where he is I swear!" said Amata through sobs.

_She's buying me time. I guess I better not let this go to waste, I'll just-_

As Enzo passed by he saw Officer Mack pull back his hand and strike Amata full in the face. There were no words, just rage. He didn't know how the bat got in his hands and he didn't care. He was already halfway to Officer Mack before the door was fully open. He swung as hard as he could and when the club hit Mack in the side of the head there was no resistance, Mack was lifted from the ground and flew five feet before hitting the ground by the open jail cell. Amata ran out of the room crying, whether it was from the slap Enzo didn't know. Enzo ran over to Mack and brought the bat down and he struck for Amata, he struck for Jonas, he struck for his dead father, he struck until he couldn't lift the bat and it fell from his hands. The Overseer remained frozen in place, whether from fear or a lack of other option Enzo couldn't tell. He just stood there trying not to look at Enzo.

Enzo got to his feet and searched the security lockers for ammo. He took about eight clips and decided to take a bulletproof vest, standard for security, not for runaways. When Enzo turned around the Overseer was still in the same place. Looking very intently at the inside of the jail cell.

_He isn't worth wasting my breath. _Enzo thought. _ Interrogates his own daughter, lets some guy hit his daughter, what a waste._

Enzo strode past the Overseer and could have sworn he heard a sigh of relief. Enzo kept going and walked into the Overseer's house. There on the ground, spread eagle was Jonas. Enzo got on one knee to look at the poor man.

_He didn't deserve this. Mom you've got a lot to answer for._

A bulge in Jonas' jacket pocket caught Enzo's attention. A holotape marked "Enzo". The gunfire behind him told him it was time to get a move on.

Enzo got to his feet, and slowly headed to the Overseer's office door and brought out the lockpicks, he and Amata used to pretend they were spies and they'd lockpick doors to "gain access to hidden information" Enzo was quite familiar with this lock, they'd picked it many a time. Just a little push and...bingo! Once inside he went over to the terminal at the end of the office.

_What would the Overseer use as his password...maybe the name of his only child?_

Enzo typed AMATA into the terminal and was granted access. He scrolled down till he saw "ACCESS OVERSEER'S TUNNEL" and hit Enter. There was a sound of hydraulics and steam being released and Enzo looked behind him to see the Overseer's desk lift up on two retractable poles, revealing a staircase leading downward.

_Hmm, that's...convenient._ Enzo thought, he darted down the stairs and through the tunnel at the bottom, pressed a button to move hidden wall out of the way. There it was, the door. Enzo walked over to the control panel and stared at it for what felt like forever. He placed his hand on the lever.

_This is it, no turning back. I can't stay here. I have to go. Why is this so hard?_

Enzo moved the lever upwards, trying not to think about what he was doing. Amata came through the secret tunnel and pointed in disbelief as she saw the vault door pull inward then roll to the side.

"You did it! You opened the door, my god, I almost didn't believe it possible!" Amata exclaimed.

"I couldn't have dont it without you Amata." Enzo said, and knew it was true.

"No, you didn't need me. If anyone can survive out there it's you."

"So, I guess this is good-bye, huh?"Enzo asked sadly.

"Yeah, I've never been very good at these." Amata replied. There were tears in her eyes.

Enzo took her hands in his and said: "I'll always come back for you Amata." and kissed her. I wasn't their first kiss, when they were about seventeen they both decided to so they could say that they had their first. But this kiss wasn't as awkward or fumbling as the first. Enzo gently brushed his lips against hers, and only allowed it to linger for about a second or so before pullng away. Before Amata could respond the door behind them flew open and two security guards ran in, batons ready. Enzo ran to the Vault Entrance and crossed the threshold. The guards stopped. There was no way they were going to cross that line and Enzo knew it.

He looked to Amata and repeated the word "Always". Her face was visibly red and she was crying unashamedly. The security guard brought the lever down and Enzo only had time to repeat himself one last time as the Vault door shut in his face.

"Always..."


End file.
